JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) – FIFA president Sepp Blatter rounded on sceptics in Europe for doubting South Africa’s ability to stage a successful World Cup finals next year, saying it was time for the sniping to end.

Speaking at a news conference two days before the start of the Confederations Cup, the eight-team World Cup warm-up tournament, an angry Blatter gave short shrift to those who criticised FIFA’s decision in 2004 to award South Africa next year’s finals — the first to be staged in Africa.

“It is not the people of Europe, but part of the media, who, from the very beginning were not at ease in trusting South Africa, or Africa at all, to organise the World Cup,” the 63-year-old Swiss said yesterday.

“I do not understand this reluctance to go to Africa and we are here, not only to honour Africa but to give justice to Africa and African football for all they have done for football.

“But ever since I opened the envelope with the name ‘South Africa’ they said it would not work. Why? Every year 10 or 11 million tourists come to South Africa. They have organised international competitions and conferences. Why the hell is there always this question mark over football?

“Is there not a little bit of envy? Well let them start trusting.”
The biggest fear surrounding next year’s finals, and to a lesser degree the Confederations Cup over the next two weeks, regards security issues, in particular the high murder rate in South Africa.

PHONE CALL
Blatter said that South Africa’s new president Jacob Zuma phoned him on the day he assumed office last month to assure him of his personal and his government’s intentions on security and other issues, adding: “People are always talking about security. Give me the name of one country in the world where you have perfect security. It does not exist.”

He also said that he did not think that his legacy to football would be that he brought the World Cup to the African continent for the first time.

“It is not my legacy, it is an African legacy,” he said, “as the president of FIFA my legacy at the end should be the social and cultural movement in our society.

“A World Cup in Africa can also help take the racism out of the game. If we did that the legacy would be a game the world can enjoy and not a game of tears — tears perhaps when you lose, but nothing else.”

Asked when he thought the Olympic Games might be held in Africa he said that the only reason the World Cup was in Africa now was because FIFA had a policy of rotating the finals around the world.

He added: “If the Olympic Games are not rotated then I do not see how the Olympic Games can come to the African continent. That is my view as a member of the IOC (International Olympic Committee).”

He added that the Confederations Cup was not just a rehearsal for the World Cup, but a high-level tournament in its own right.

“We are not congratulating ourselves on anything yet, we can do that at the end, but I am very happy with everything so far,” he said.

Danny Jordaan, chief executive of the South African Organising Committee, said that 71 per cent of the 640 000 available tickets had been sold for the tournament which begins tomorrow when hosts South Africa play Asian champions Iraq in Johanesburg and Oceania champions New Zealand take on European champions Spain in Rustenburg.